“Thank you, dear Chair,
Dear Secretary General Buric,
Excellencies, dear friends,
It is a great honor to speak before you today. I know that I am among friends.
I came here to share with you our vision for the cooperation between democratic Belarus and the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe is a community of values, and we, Belarusians, want to be part of this community.
For many years, Belarus was a gray spot on the map of Europe. A homegrown dictator who seized power 30 years ago led our country into isolation.
Belarusians were deprived of all the benefits of being a member of the Council of Europe which might seem so obvious to you.
Belarusians were deprived of the opportunity to defend their rights in international courts. To have access to the best expertise in lawmaking. To develop human capital. To build partnerships and alliances, people-to-people ties…
And we can see the result – Belarus is one of the poorest countries in Europe. State and social institutions are demolished. People live in conditions of terror. Sovereignty is under threat. And finally, my country was dragged into a criminal war against neighboring Ukraine.
However, the regime in Minsk has never managed to suppress the freedom loving spirit of Belarusians.
We could see this spirit in 2020, when peaceful rallies spread over the entire country. We could see this spirit in fearless women, artists, journalists, and pensioners who stood up for their rights.
We see this spirit in thousands of political prisoners, who even behind bars, don’t give up hope.
We see this spirit in thousands of people who, after three years of terror, continue their peaceful struggle for democratic change in my country. People join initiatives, build communities, and demonstrate their desire for change.
Belarusians are peacefully fighting for all the values that the Council of Europe holds dear: rule of law, equality, accountability, and, of course, free elections.
And we are paying a high price for it. Just last week, the regime carried out mass searches and detentions in 160 homes of families of political prisoners. Some former political prisoners were also rearrested.
One of those arrested is Maryna Adamovich, the wife of Mikalai Statkevich, the leader of the Belarusian social-democrats.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and has been held incommunicado for one year already, like my husband. My children have not seen their daddy for almost 4 years already.
In Belarus, solidarity became a crime. The regime detains ordinary citizens just for sending parcels of food and clothing. They arrest them because they support those already behind bars. And they punish them for sending donations to Ukraine.
Supporting Ukraine today also means supporting democratic Belarus, and vice versa. The fates of our countries are intertwined. Both of our nations fight for European values – values of the Council of Europe. And the victory of Ukraine will be a victory for Belarus, and all of Europe too.
I applaud the Council of Europe for its strong stance regarding Ukraine. You showed a real example of bravery, by suspending a country-aggressor in your organization.
You also showed bravery by formalizing the relationship between the Council of Europe and democratic Belarus.
Looking at your efforts, it renews my faith in international organizations!
Dear Excellencies,
Our work with the Council of Europe is key for the democratic future of Belarus.
We don’t know when changes in Belarus will take place, but we must be prepared for them.
By working together, we can strengthen the agency of democratic forces and civil society, and make them more resilient and robust.
We just completed our first Action Plan that included activities with independent journalists who continue to bring the truth to our people. Also, it included support to our lawyers who continue to advocate for victims of political repressions and give their expertise to our democratic forces and civil society organizations. It included multiple projects on non-discrimination and gender equality.
These topics were never in focus in the repressive regime in Belarus. But we want to speak about them to bring these values closer to our people.
What we achieved within the Contact Group is truly remarkable. I want to thank Marija Buric and her team, and all our partners in all structures of the Council of Europe for their flexibility and creativity.
On your tables, you can see a revised Action Plan. Yes, it is ambitious but also realistic.
Let me highlight several proposals in it.
First. Continue training for Belarusian legal professionals. These people are the backbone of our work today, but also the hope for our future.
Second. Invest in our youth organizations and activists. They can and do reach our young people inside Belarus, despite the blockage of communication, repressions and threats. The young people repeatedly outsmart the regime.
Third. Put more efforts into communications about the Council of Europe. We have to promote the Council of Europe, its values, its work, among Belarusians. Promoting the Council of Europe – we also promote the European future for Belarus.
And here I come to my most important point. I want to say it very clearly:
We see our cooperation with the Council of Europe as strategic.
It is probably the most important foreign cooperation that we have. The reason for this assessment is simple – we see no other future for Belarus than a European future.
After Russia attacked Ukraine, it became evident that security and democracy are interlinked.
It also became evident that only within the European family of nations, Belarus can become a prosperous, peaceful and sovereign nation.
And our path – European path – will start here in Strasbourg. Our first step on the road of European integration will be the accession to the Council of Europe.
This is why our cooperation with the Council of Europe today is the key building block for our European future. But we also need to think of this in a more structured manner.
I propose that we discuss and develop a Roadmap for the quick accession of future democratic Belarus to the Council of Europe.
We need to look at each activity in the Action Plan from this perspective.
What reforms should we focus on to make quick steps towards accession to the Council of Europe?
How do we explain what this organization brings to ordinary citizens?
How do we include gender equality in all our activities and projects?
I propose to develop a framework of our cooperation from a strategic perspective.
When the time comes, democratic Belarus will be knocking on the doors of Europe. We want to make sure that these doors open quickly.
We aim to be part of Europe to ensure that Belarus’ transition to democracy is both sustainable and irreversible.
Europe should not have any missing pieces. A reliable and democratic Belarus is in the best interest of the European family.
We need each other. When opportunity opens, we will be prepared. We cannot miss this chance. Let’s work on that from now.
Today, I ask you to support the idea of this roadmap, and very soon we will come to you with concrete proposals.
I want to end with a message of hope. We, the people of Belarus, have faced many challenges. But today, we’re not alone. We’re on a journey together with you towards a better future.
And though the road ahead might be tough, I am confident that we can reach our goal if we stand united.
With your support, Belarus can become a place of democracy and freedom, an important part of a united Europe.
On behalf of Belarusians, I want to say; it feels good to be home.
Thank you”.
